Top 4 free Android launchers

Give your Android a complete makeover with these free home screen launchers.

Is your Android phone looking a little stale? Fortunately, there are dozens of great customization tools and launchers available for Android to give your handset a fresh new coat of paint. Download these top free launchers and give your Android device an almost unrecognizable makeover with minimal work involved.

GO Launcher has been around since the Froyo days and has its fair share of features that still keep it an old favorite among Android users. It's a robust launcher that transforms your Android experience, allowing you to customize your icons, grid, and dock dimensions; transition animations; and perform simple gesture actions. Although it comes with a lot of heavy promotion for some of its more premium add-ons, like custom lockers and themes, GO Launcher boasts some of the largest collection of downloadable themes and icon packs for free.

Sometimes you don't want to have to customize every itty-bitty pixel, but rather just perform a simple, clean, one-step makeover. Vire Launcher brings a futuristic, glossy coat of paint to your home screen. Not only do your icons become large and easily visible, but Vire Launcher applies a universal filter that creates a sketch-like outline effect over glassy panels that's sure to impress your friends. Vire also includes some slick widgets, including a clean picture frame that pans around and a clock widget with a drop-down app drawer. By default, the home screen also taps into your phone's accelerometer, meaning its glassy interface responds to any tilting motions to give it that extra wow factor.

If you feel like giving your phone a touch of identity crisis, then Launcher8 is an app that will confuse the hell out of all your friends. Launcher8 makes your Android device mimic the Windows Mobile 8 interface, all the way from lock screen to live tiles. Customize your live tiles by color and size or add your own icon. You can even add custom widgets to the tile screen for a truly hybrid Android/WinMo8 experience. Though it might take a bit of getting used to, at least you'll be able to stand out from the crowd. Try taking your handset to a carrier store to create even more confusion.

Menlo Park's been making a splash in the Android scene with their own brew of Android launchers. Facebook Home turns your home screen into a live cover feed that lets you see what your friends are up to, complete with gorgeous photo carousels, gesture-based Facebook actions, and SMS integration via Chat Heads. It's all about Facebook, and sure to either fulfill your wildest Facebook dreams or drive you mad with its total handset takeover. Either way, it's free and a must-see for any avid Facebook user.